away. they'll have to keep working at it until they get. it. >> reporter: the bill waiting for the president's signature raises taxes on families making more than $450,000 a year and extends long term jobless benefits for a year, but the law does not include spending cuts and social security and medicare reform leaving many lawmakers doubtful congress will ever reach a sweeping budget deal. >> quite frankly, the president won't show the leadership to do it on the entitlement side. we've been slow to the dance on the revenue side. >> reporter: another showdown is just around the corner. in two months the treasury needs to increase the amount of money the country can borrow and lawmakers must approve it. >> what i'm most worried about is what's happening next. after this we have another cliff to go over and that is really scaring me, too with the debt ceiling. >> reporter: the last time congress fought over the debt ceiling america's credit rating was downgraded. the fiscal cliff deal did not save the social security payroll tax cut.

so many americans will still pay higher federal taxes this year. on capitol hill danielle nottingham, lesli, back to you. >> thank you. we'll talk a bit more about what this means for most of us. first the good news, most americans' tax rates are not going up, but now your paychecks will be a little smaller starting with the next one. andrea mccarren joins us live from our satellite center with more on what to expect. >> the payroll tax holiday is over now. so the rate is going up from 4.2% to 6.2% and that increase will affect virtually everyone who has a job. >> i guess i won't be getting my nails done and hair done. >> reporter: just weeks ago we asked self-described middle class taxpayers what more they could sacrifice. >> everything that's in my life is a they. >> because i don't have -- is a necessity. >> because i don't have any more to give them. >> reporter: but now wage

earners will take home even less. >> now they'll start paying that pay rolle tax which means reduced income -- payroll tax which means reduced income and less money to buy products with. >> reporter: if you earn $30,000 a year, you'll pay about $50 more in taxes every month and if you're making 50,000 a year, you'll pay about $83 more a month and if you bring in $113,700 a year, you'll contribute an extra 189.50 a month in taxes. keep in mind that the payroll tax funds social security and that lower rate was costing the government $120 billion a year in tax revenue. back to you. >> thank you. and foxed soared on wall street -- stocks soared on wall street and around the world after congress passed the last minute budget deal averting the fiscal cliff. the dow finished up 308 points to close at 13,412. coming up at 5:30 we'll look at the winners and the lose he is of the fiscal cliff

deal -- losers of the fiscal cliff deal. we'll break it all down. at the top of the show you heard him, a little bit of governor chris christie blasting the republican led house representatives. he said a plot more than that and his hard -- a lot more than ha and his harsh words have gotten some action. the house will vote friday on $9 billion in aid for superstorm sandy relief. the house came within hours of when the republican governor ripped the republican controlled congress and specifically house speaker john boehner for failing to vote before adjourning late last night on the sandy relief bill. >> we respond to innocent victims of natural disasters not as republicans or democrats, but as americans. or at least we did until last night. last night politics was placed before our oath to serve our citizens. for me it was disappointing and disgusting to watch. >> now a vote on the remaining

$51 billion in the aid package will happen january 15th. lawmakers from new york, new jersey and elsewhere including a lot of republicans say they are satisfied eventually this aid will be forthcoming. breaking news on secretary of state hillary clinton, good news. this is video shot just a short time ago of mrs. clinton leaving new york presbyterian hospital with her husband, former president bill clinton. secretary clinton had been hospitalized since sunday after doctors discovered a blood clot behind her right ear during a followup exam for a concussion she suffered when she fainted. now doctors have treated that blood clot with blood thinners. her spokesperson says clinton has been quite active on the phone today speaking with staff and reviewing paperwork. exploding ammunition from a burning house had firefighters and bystanders ducking for cover this morning and a man trapped inside the burning home has died. the tragedy happened in the parkway village trailer park in maryland city just outside laurel and that's where scott broom has the details.

>> reporter: when rescuers first got here this morning, they found neighbors trying to help, fire coming out of every window and door and the sound of gunfire going off. >> i was standing down there and i heard the bullets going off. >> yeah. the rounds went off like when the house started blowing up. >> reporter: sky 9 captured the scene after 8:30 this morning moments after neighbors tried to rescue the disabled man who lived here. alvin richardson tried to break windows to save his neighbor. >> it was bad. i could hear him inside. my next-door neighbor, when he was going under to the house he was walking in, two bullets went by his head pretty sure. >> as they attempted to make the rescue, they heard several shots of ammunition inside. >> reporter: it was a scary reminder of the christmas eve sniper attack in webster, new york, where two volunteer firefighters were killed, but here firefighters quickly determined they were not under attack. instead they believed it was hunting ammunition stored in the house that was exploding.

by the time they could get inside there was no hope for the disabled man everyone wanted to save. his body was found inside. the fire apparently was an accident. >> shows you how firefighters put their life in danger more ways than one. >> reporter: investigators have not determined the cause of the fire. in maryland city, scott broom, 9 news now. . >> authorities haven't officially released the name of the man who died, a 55-year-old father and grandfather who lived in that house with his wife. she was at work when the fire broke out. there's a push tonight to award four new york firefighters shot on crust mastiest presidential medal of free -- christmas eve the presidential medal of freedom. two firefighters were killed and two were wounded. the petition needs 25,000 signatures by january 27th for an official white house response. tense moments outside a vienna shopping center this

morning, the bomb squad was called to the parking lot of merchants tire on route 123 to investigate a suspected grenade. every business in the immediate area was evacuated and area roads were shut down. investigators determined it was a real grenade, but its internal components had been removed making it inoperable. today we are hearing from redskins quarterback robert griffin, iii for the very first time since the sunday night playoff clinching win over the evil dallas cowboys. kristen berset is here with what rg3 had to say about this sunday's coming match-up against the very tough seattle seahawks with a rookie phenom of their own. >> two rookies going up against each other. our own dave owens interviewed rg3 after sunday's game. the rookie seemed happy to have won but with all that -- won and with all they've accomplished so far, but you get the sense he's not satisfied and that sentiment is the same throughout the skins locker room. the skins have been playing must win games the last seven weeks. this one is no different.

they tried to approach this sunday's game against the seahawks like every other, but you can tell there's a different sense of excitement up in ashburn. >> it's like a regular season game but with a playoff game atmosphere. guys are going to give it their all no matter. what there will nobody plays taken off and we'll be ready for. it. >> feels good. so we plan to keep going, win as many as we can and make it to the playoffs is a good feeling. >> reporter: we'll hear more from the redskins as they usher in a new ear run the road. the baltimore ravens are preparing to say good -- era up the road. the baltimore ravens are preparing to say good-bye to one of their own. ray lewis was a first ever draft pick when the team came to baltimore in 1996. he sure has been fun to watch and cover as a reporter. players all over the league look at lewis as an inspiration. coming up in the 6:00 show we've got sound from ray lewis and santana moss reacts to the

news. as you can imagine, the redskins/seahawks playoff game, there is no tougher ticket in town right now. be careful, though, because some of the tickets sold online may be fake. matt jablow joins us with the story. you interviewed a father and daughter from olney who learned the hard way about some fake tickets that nobody would have suspected. >> they sure did, derek. they were kicked out of their seats right in the middle of the game. >> never realized this could even happen. >> reporter: jeff loewenthal and his 15-year-old daughter samantha were among the 80,000 people at fedex field for sunday's redskins/cowboys game. samantha and jeff, both of whom are avid redskins fans had been looking forward to the game for a while and having a great time

until two young women came up to them with about five minutes left in the 2nd quarter and fold the father and daughter they were in their -- told the father and daughter they were in their seats. when an usher came to sort out the confusion, he explained while leading jeff and his daughter from their seats that the two hard copy tickets jeff bought on craigslist that morning for $550 were not valid. >> disgusted. >> reporter: because the original owner of the tickets had already sold the rights to the ticket online, thereby rendering the hard copy tickets invalid. >> i just wanted to stay for the game. >> for a full 41 row 6. >> reporter: danny mata is the owner of greatseats.com, a ticket brokerage in beltsville. he says the electronic ticket revolution has clearly made things a lot more convenient for ticket buyers, but just as clearly has led to an increase in ticket fraud. >> you need to buy from a

reputable source, a ticket broker, someone you know. don't buy from someone you meet at a metro station and exchange money with. >> reporter: sounds like good advice, though a few days too late for jeff and samantha. >> it's disgusting. i don't know why someone would do that. >> i tried contacting the man who sold the tickets to get a comment, but he did not answer his cell phone and his voicemail box was full. >> i guess that's not surprising, but those tickets, if they were invalid, you have to scan that barcode to get in the stadium. why didn't they find out then? >> very good question. you would think that the barcodes on the hard copy tickets and the e-tickets would be different. jeff tells me that he was told the barcodes were exactly the same. >> so how did they find out once the usher came to the seats that the barcode was no good on the tickets? >> they somehow knew who had the orange tickets, knew that he sold -- original tickets, knew that he sold the rights online. let me add i'm told from ticket brokers that every ticket to

this sunday's playoff game against the seahawks is an e ticket. so there could be major problems at the gate this coming sunday. >> wow, matt jablow, thank you. stay home and watch on tv. >> let's hope they have some time to work out the kirks before then. still ahead on 9 news -- kinks before then. still ahead on 9 news same sex marines take place for the first time in -- marriages take place for the first time in courts across maryland. >> we have some clouds around and we'll look ahead to the all important sunday forecast for the ravens and redskins games. >> a conviction and death sentence thrown out two years ago, the defendant finally given a green light to freedom, but justin wolfe has one more hurdle to cross. i'm peggy fox. i'm tell you what happened in court today. well i always worry about what's in the food

that i put on my children's plate. that's why we use all-white meat, breading that is whole grain with omega-3 and no preservatives. it is my goal to make the highest quality, best-tasting nugget on the market. i want consumers to go, "dang, that's a good nugget."

perdue is the first and the only chicken company to have usda process verified programs for fresh, all natural chicken. our chickens are not fed steroids or hormones. [ jim ] we raise our chickens cage-free. we're trying to make a better chicken. a circuit court judge has granted the release of justin

wolfe. he spent the last 11 years on death row. a federal judge threw out his murder for hire conviction and death sentence two years ago after finding the prosecution withheld evidence that might have cleared him. >> that same federal judge ordered him released by tomorrow and today a prince william county judge agreed. peggy fox has more now from manassas. >> reporter: justin wolfe gave his family a huge smile and there were tears of joy and hugs, all this after the judge here agreed with the federal judge and granted wolfe's release. >> i missed you so much. >> reporter: terri steinberg embraced her friends, family and legal team for their steadfast support in securing her son justin's release. >> it may be tomorrow justin will actually be breathing the same air, fresh air. >> reporter: justin wolfe information solitary confinement on death row for the past 11 years after his murder for hire conviction and death sentence in the killing

of danny petrole, but in 2005 the triggerman and star witness owen barber recanted his testimony and said wolfe had nothing to do with the murder. >> won't still stuck to the -- owen still stuck to the story that justin had nothing to do with this even after being talked to for an hour and a half. he stuck with that story. so he has had that same story since 2005. >> reporter: two years ago a federal judge threw out wolfe's conviction and sentence and just last week that same judge ordered wolfe be released unconditionally by tomorrow. >> this is something we've been hoping for for a long time. >> to see the smile on his face and he knows this is a huge victory. >> i didn't sleep last night. so i doubt i'll sleep tonight were justin's little sister blew him a kiss when she caught his eye. >> it will be nice to finally like be able to play wii games and stuff because i haven't done that since i was 4. >> reporter: you might need a little practice. >> yeah. >> reporter: go easy on him.

>> i hope tomorrow at 5:00 is the happiest day. >> reporter: wolfe's release is not a done deal. virginia's attorney general has appealed the decision, but if the federal courts do not stay or vacate it, justin wolfe should be a free man thursday by 5:00. in manassas peggy fox, 9 news now. >> in his christmas eve ruling federal judge raymond jackson said prosecutors added to their misconduct in this case by making a jailhouse visit to triggerman owen barber in september and were recorded making thinly veiled threats if he wavered in his testimony implicating wolfe. metro is selling only about half as many one day rail passes as last year and the transit agency suspects it could be because of recent price hikes. sales slowed after metro added a 28 day unlimited option on its smartrip cards at the same time the transit agency raised the price of the one-day pass

from $9 to $14. be prepared to shell out more money for parking in silver spring and north bethesda. short and long term rates went up today. short term rates are $200 instead of 75 cents. -- are now $1 instead of 75 rates. longer remember it rates increased from 60 to 65 cents and monthly parking permits increased from $113 to $123. >> sounds like the only thing not increasing around here is the temperature. i mentioned this on twitter. we haven't had any major arctic outbreaks this winter. it's been very benign. >> oh, no. >> we did have a little snow, though, while we were off. >> what about that blizzard that hit the midwest? >> that's not an arctic outbreak, temps that go well below zero and break records. that little snow -- >> you sound unhappy about it, lack of an arctic outbreak. >> you know it's going to come.

happy new year, everybody. let's take a live look outside, our michael and son weather cam. it's chilly but not windy. 35 feels like 35, dew point in the mid-teens, winds out of the north 10, pressure steady 30.16 inches of mercury. satellite and radar combined, a lot of moisture to the coastline of texas and louisiana. some of these high clouds are playing cat and mouse with us now and i think tomorrow some of these high level clouds will affect southern areas around charles county and most of us towards gaithersburg and winchester will have more sunshine. temps in the 30s, 33 rock civil, bethesda, very creb -- rockville, bethesda, very yen and fairfax. temps will fall quickly tonight, calm winds, dry paris and a few clouds. staying -- dry air mass and a few clouds.

staying chilly but cold, some clouds south of town tomorrow, keep the sunglasses handy. for tomorrow partly cloudy, cold, lows in the 20s, winds northwest at 10:00. tomorrow morning partly cloudy, kohler bundle up the kids, temperatures 20 -- cold, bundle up the kids, temperatures 20s to 30s, not much wind. by afternoon partly cloudy, cold, more clouds south of town, high temperatures around 40 and winds out of the southwest at 10. next three days our 9 weather alerts stay green. we're about average really in terms of temperatures, 40 tomorrow cold, breezy and cold friday, 42, mostly sunny, just chilly saturday and 46. now the all important seven-day which includes sunday, okay, up at the ravens game fine. redskin game fine, no rain, no snow, temps in the 40s. however, if you go to either game, dress for the 30s because you tailgate early sunday up in baltimore it will be in the 30s and by the time you leave fedex sunday evening, it will be in

the 30s. mid-40s monday and milder, near 50 tuesday and low 50s with sunshine on wednesday. so really very quiet, no big winter storms and no arctic outbreaks just yet. >> no arctic outbreaks. >> dig out that heavy coat, though. if you haven't done so yet, be sure to download the new 9 news ipad app. i did it the other day and i found out it has news at your fingertips, hd video, live interactive weather maps just like the stuff topper uses. it's free in the app store. you can get it for your kindle fire and some android tablets. they look like they work miracles in those infomercials, but coming up consumer reports put three extra size gadgets to the test. >> up next a popular car rental company reaches a deal to buy a car sharing company, more after the break.

rent it or share it, a new partnership will roll out this new year. avis is buying the popular zipcar service for half a million dollars. the deal needs to be approved by stockholders, but both companies expect to be partners by spring and when it's done,

zipcar will operate as a sub sub acid vary of -- subsidiary of avis. now we learn toyota will decide to go after the more mature buyer. so now toyota will market to mid-20s buyers. the plan calls for ditching all the wild colors for more muted tones. first the fiscal cliff, now the environment. starbucks announced it will start selling reuseable mugs in all of its u.s. stores. those coffee cups will cost $1 customers can get a 10-cent discount on each refill. the move comes after increasing pressure on the chain and on other retailers to ditch their tomorrow cups for recyclable alternatives. those exercise infomercials are ready to grab your attention as you resolve to get into shape, brut you spend your money, check out these three -- but before you spend your

money, check out these three products consumer reports just tested. testers found the $30 perfect punch far from perfect and the $99 rhythm rocker didn't fare much better. their advice? save your money. take a 4 1/2 mile jog or walk 2 miles on your treadmill, but the core body performer did perform well in consumer reports' tests. >> the workouts are well rounded and if you're somewhat fit looking to improve strength and flexibility, it might be one to consider. >> so that core performer combines yoga, pie plates and dance in one workout, but -- pilates and dance in one workout, but it is not cheap and sells for $20,050. >> the good ones never are cheap -- $250. >> the good ones never are cheap. coming up sandy hook elementary students prepare to go back to class. this will be their first time since the newtown school shooting.

>> reporter: i'm kristin fisher at montgomery county judicial center where six same sex couples were married today, the first day it's ever been allowed in maryland courthouses. i'll take you inside some of their ceremonies coming up. >> up next we're joined by the washington editor of barron's magazine to break down the winners and the losers of the fiscal cliff deal. we'll be back. ñ??

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last night's plate vote in the house of representatives on the fiscal cliff deal contained some key issues and punting of others and the size of the budget we'll have to deal with down the road, but for now who are the winners and the losers? joining me is jim mctague, editor of the washington barron's magazine. >> breathe a sigh of relief because if we had gone over the cliff, everybody's taxes would have gone way up, back to where they were under bill clinton and plus some 30 million middle class taxpayers would have been swept into what we call the alternative minimum tax which is a parallel tax system that was designed to make millionaires pay taxes. >> it would have wiped out some of their deductions, right? >> yes. it would have been very expensive. >> what about the u.s. economy? we saw the dow go up 300 points today. did the economy win? >> well, yes and no.

hallelujah, i can look at my 401k and smile today, up 300 points. so the markets were relieved that we did not go over the cliff, which would have caused a major recession, but we haven't fixed our economic problems. two months from now we will deal with the spending side of the equation. there will be a bitter dispute on capitol hill and i think the markets will go haywire again. >> so the economy is stable now, but we'll have to see in a couple months. also in this deal there was an extension of medicare payments to doctors that didn't get cut, some emergency unemployment benefits that got through. you also say the green guys won in this. what does that mean? >> yeah. president obama is a big champion of green energy, wind power, bio and the republicans think it's a waste of taxpayer money because these forms of energy can't compete with coal and gas. well, president obama got big

tax breaks for green energy. so he keeps that sector alive indefinitely. >> what about the losers here? the gop wanted spending cuts up front. how do they lose and the president, too in, this? >> yeah. the gop, their message is not resonating anymore. you know, with the younger generation the individualism and small government and low taxes does not resonate. so the gop had to cave and they had to raise taxes on some wealthy people. >> what about small business owners because both sides said hey, we're going to protect these folks. did they win or lose in this? >> most of them won. up to 98% of them will keep low tax rates, but if my math is correct, there are about 700,000 small businesses with up to 500 employees who will pay much higher taxes. so they will suffer. they will not expand. they will not hire. >> as you said, they'll have to deal with some of the spending issues in a couple months and that sets us back again in

uncertainty. >> yes. we still have place sieve deficit. we're heading to -- a massive deficit. we're heading to become greece. social security is a problem. medicaid, medicare is a problem. we have to tighten our belts. congress proved they can spend money. they have not proven they can do any belt tightening. >> jim mctague, thank you for your insight on what we have so far on the fiscal cliff. >> thank you. we want to give you an update on secretary of state hillary clinton. this is video shot a short time ago of mrs. clinton leaving new york presbyterian hospital with her husband, former president bill clinton. earlier cnn reported that mrs. clinton had been released from the hospital, but now they are reporting she's been transferred to another hospital. secretary clinton has been hospitalized since sunday after doctors found a blood clot behind her right ear during a followup exam for a concussion that she suffered. doctors have been treating it with blood thinners. today is the first day that

courthouses in maryland were open for business after the same sex marriage law took effect new year's day. as kristin fisher reports, six such couples officially tied the knot today at the montgomery county judicial center. ♪ going to the courthouse and we're going to get married ♪ ♪ >> the first day delay get the license i ran over here. i work -- day i could get the license i ran over here. i live across the street. they asked me when do you want to get married and i said as soon as possible. this is the first time and we took. it. >> reporter: jesse and joey are the first couple to get married at the montgomery county courthouse. >> a little nervous. >> reporter: nervous but ready. they've been together nearly 14 years and they're in the process of adopting their 2- month-old niece. >> i now pronounce you as lawfully married. congratulations. >> thank you. >> we did it! >> reporter: joe and jeff are just one of the six same sex

couples that got married here today at the montgomery county judicial center. it's been like this at courthouses across the state, but keep in mind these couples have had less than two months to plan for their big day. so here in montgomery county they were cheered on by complete strangers trying to make their day special. >> have fun! >> it's nice for us to be able to be here and make a party for everyone as they're coming through. i think it's really significant in that maryland is the seventh state to pass marriage equality. we're going to keep seeing more states going this direction and this is i think the way the whole country is moving. it's just a matter of time. >> i'm so many shock that had actually happened and -- in shock that it actually happened and it's legal and it's my best dream come true. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. >> reporter: in rockville kristin fisher, 9 news. >> maryland now joins the district of columbia and eight other states in approving same sex marriage. the survivors of the newtown school shooting are preparing to go back to class. they got a look today at the new school where they'll be

attending. it's located in a former middle school in nearby monroe, connecticut. this new building is renamed after the old one in newtown. it's, too called sandy hook elementary. classes will get underway tomorrow. >> we know from the advice we've been giving is to have as much a normal routine as possible and they are prepared to do that. it won't be heavy curriculum, but they need to do the kinds of things that are important for kids and to have normal routines. >> tomorrow first day back to school since the gunman killed 20 of their classmate and six adults last month. coming up on 9 details of a $1 million heist at one of apple's flagship stores. don't forget we're always on at www.wusa9.com. stay with us. we will be right back.

caught on camera a sledding accident that nearly kills a california man. this video was captured by an onlooker showing this man losing control sliding right into some frigid water in a partially frozen lake. during the chaos of trying to rescue him several other folks fell in. bystanders threw in inner tubes and lifelines. in the end everybody got out

safely. that lake has now been shut down until spring. you probably heard of drivers arrested for driving the wrong way down a road, but just imagine driving the wrong way on an interstate for 18 miles. it happened near wilkesbury, pennsylvania. a 22-year-old woman is now charged with surprise, suspicion of drinking too much, reckless endangerment. witnesses say she was speeding on i-81 north early morning new year's day. police stopped her by using a roadblock. no one was hurt. los angeles police questioning a driver after the death of a photographer taking photos of justin bieber's ferrari yesterday evening. bieber wasn't in the car at the time. the pop star's friend was driving when police pulled him over for a traffic stop. the vehicle was parked on a busy street when the photographer arrived. he was snapping pictures and the photographer was hit by another vehicle in the process. so far no charges have been filed in the accident.

police in france looking for four armed guys who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ipads, iphones and other computer products from the paris apple store. this recreation of the crime released by police shows the masked thieves forcing their way into the flagship apple store behind the paris opera after it closed. there are reports the gunmen took more than $1.3 million in merchandise before getting away in a waiting van. police say the company is still evaluating what was lost. still ahead this little girl is barely starting out, but she's making headlines around the world, what she did the day she was born that's getting all the attention. >> up next it may not seem like it makes a lot of sense, but a look at why carrying extra weight could actually be better for your health. we'll be back. ñ??

excuse me, sir i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app. carrying a few more pounds after the holidays? today's health alert actually has reassuring news. a study in the journal of the american medical association finds being a little overweight may not so be bad when it comes to lifespan. >> people come in all shapes and sizes. we all know that. the body mass index or bmi

provides important information on how much fat we carry in our bodies by comparing height and weight, but what can bmi tell us about how long we could live? to find out dr. katherine fleegel from the cdc and her team compiled 97 studies from around the world. >> there were almost 3 million people in these studies and over 270,000 deaths. >> reporter: the team looked for the standard bmi categories, normal weight, overweight and obesity. these categories were developed by the world health organization and the national heart, lung and blood institute. >> they lookeddal at all cause mortality in these -- looked at all cause mortality in knees categories and made comparisons -- these categories and made comparisons. >> reporter: here's what this global bmi snapshot found. being obese can definitely shorten a person's lifespan, no big shocker there, but researches are also found that being overweight but not obese is actually associated with lower mortality or lower risk

of death. fleeinggel says scientists have come to similar conclusion before, but nobody wanted to believe. >> people should not be too surprised because in our categories 87% of the studies shows there was lower mortalities in overweight and heavy people. >> these findings were consistent even though they were people of different ages in different parts of the world. here are a couple of theories. it may that be overweight people get more frequent medical care being screened more often for diabetes and heart problems and catching them early. there's also some evidence that heavier folks may have slightly better survival during a medical emergency like a really bad infection, but the take- home message is this. figure out your bmi with your doctor and make sure it stays out of the obese range. we are seeing a high number of flu cases nationwide this season including close to home

in west virginia. state officials say they've had close to 11,000 cases as of mid- december, the highest total for that period in the last five years. west virginia is one of 31 states reporting this early flu activity. december 12th the state's health department sent an advisory warning residents of an early flu season. most cases are ah3. that strain is included in this year's flu vaccine. a kansas man is due in court next week to argue why he should not have to pay child support for the daughter he fathered but fathered by donating his sperm. william morata says he helped a lesbian couple conceive through artificial insemination in 2009 but relinquished his parental rights. now the women have filed for financial assistance from the state and the state of kansas says he needs to contribute to the upbringing of that 3-year- old girl. what do you think about the push to force the man to pay?

join the conversation on our facebook page or hit me up at mailbag@wusa9.com. i'd love to share this one on the air in 7:00 9 news. some viewers might find this next story disturbing. an unborn baby reaches out from her mother's womb and grabs the finger of the doctor performing the c section delivery. that child little naveah adkins is from arizona. her mother is a professional photographer, but it was dad who snapped the photo. >> the doctor called me over and said hey, she grabbed my finger. it was such an amazing picture. i information awe looking at it. >> so mom posted the picture on facebook. she said some groups opposed to abortion rights have expressed an interest in using the photo, but the parents have no plans to give up the copyright to a picture they call priceless.

well, call the picture what you want, but that's a cute little baby. >> it is a cute little baby. i don't know about that one. >> if you're the mom, help me out. that's good. >> i think sometimes there's too much information. it's just too much. >> i may be in your camp on that. >> but she's a beautiful baby. >> she sure is. >> the picture wasn't crazy. it was kind of cool actually. >> yeah, sort of. >> looking at someone to cut an umbilical cord. >> but you didn't take pictures either. >> no, i did not. i was not allowed. i asked. >> did you really ask? >> i asked because i said do you want to have it videotaped for posterity and she said absolutely not. okay. let's go. >> moving on. let's take a live look outside. it's our michael and son weather cam. the doctor asked if she wanted a mirror to see and she said no, no. all right. right now temperatures in the mid-30s downtown. this is about average temperaturewise, dew points in

the teens. that should signal the dry air mass. pressure is steady 30.16. you not a pretty cold night is ahead with just a few high midlevel clouds and dew points in the teens. here's the satellite picture. just to our south some precipitation down into tennessee and also in alabama. the precip stays south. however, the high and midlevel clouds will play cat and house with us tonight and much of tomorrow, especially in southern maryland. 32 now in rockville and bethesda and also in fairfax, even 34 in college park and down to 31 in bowie, 32 toward laurel. staying chilly to cold for a while, colder tonight, need a heavy coat tomorrow. some clouds will be south of town tomorrow, kind of a mostly cloudy day. keep the sunglasses handy for the finish of the week into the weekend. partly cloudy tonight, cold, a two to three blanket night, lows in the 20s. tomorrow it's going to be cold, thankfully not windy.

bundle up the kids at the bus stop, 20s and 30s. by afternoon partly cloudy, coal, more clouds south of town, high temps -- cold, more clouds around town, high temps around 40. cold tomorrow 40, breezy and cold, 42 friday, chilly saturday in the mid-40s. next seven days, all important day sound, ravens up in battle skins at fedex, huge game -- baltimore, skins at fedex, huge games, then look what happens, low 50s wednesday with sunshine. if you are a snowbird like i am, you're dying. back to you guys. >> he's dying, but we don't need snow on sunday. >> because playoffs? we're talking about playoffs. >> don't get too excited. with the excitement over the redskins ratcheting up now that the team is in postseason. >> kristen berset is here with more on that. >> usually this time of year we're looking back on what

could have been, not this year. it's an exciting time around the dmv. redskins are nfc east champs prepping for their first playoff game in five years. diane roberts has more from redskins park where players and coaches are in the midst of game planning for the post season. >> reporter: washington will host seattle in the nfc wildcard round, the same team that knocked them out of the exact same round in 2007, but these are two very different teams now, both with record setting rookie quarterbacks. >> determined guy. you know, i know his whole story as far as going to college and leaving to go to wisconsin. me and him last year dueled it out for one of the records. i don't remember which one, but we were dueling it out for that and it's just good to see him being so successful. at the same time i want our defense to go out and shut him down. >> reporter: how do you stop russell wilson? >> it's going to take 11 guys.

first we'll have to stop the running game and just get after him. he makes the first and second guy miss a plot of the times when you're scrambling. it's going to be up to the defensive line and line backers to keep him corralled and get him on the ground. >> reporter: griffin and wilson will make their postseason debuts and so will fellow rookie alfred morris, the nfc offensive player of the week. >> i don't add any pressure to myself. every day i come in it's just another day at office. game day it's another day at the office regardless of how big the stage is. i don't get caught up in the hype or let the pressure get to me. i just go in and do what i've been doing for so long. i've been playing football since i've been 5 years old. i just go in and have some fun. >> reporter: the burgundy and gold have won their last five postseason home games since 1986. all time they're 13-2 in the playoffs at home. from redskins park, diane roberts, 9 sports. >> if the redskins beat seattle sunday, it will be their first

postseason win since 2005. we've got plenty more from practice today coming up later in sports. if you think you've heard it all about the fiscal cliff, still ahead a closer look at some of the detailed provisions that came through in this deal. >> plus i'm here for the interview. >> you're back further? >> reporter: this is bruce johnson. six members of the d.c. council were sworn in today and going into 2013 you know there are a lot of serious questions surrounding the city's legislators. i'll have that story coming up. >> but first looking forward to the new year with a special goal in mind, meet the man pledging to better the lives of others. that story is up next.

many of you are ringing in the new year with some resolutions on how to better yourself or your high of. i know i am. >> but one man -- life. i know i am. >> but one man's pledge is focused on making the lives of others better and lee cowen brings us his story. >> reporter: for most parents when a child leaves the nest, it's usually for good, but at age 51 tony tolbert has come home again. >> thank you for the love that we share. amen. >> reporter: tony grew up in a home that always seemed to have a spare bed thanks to his father jimmy tolbert. an entertainment lawyer in los angeles, tony's dad extended a hand to almost anyone down on their luck. in fact, tony can't remember a time there wasn't someone extra

living in their house and that gave this harvard educated attorney an idea. >> if i consider myself a generous person, then be generous, you know, practice generosity. >> reporter: tony decided to take his dad's generosity one step further. he announced he was moving back home because he was giving his own fully furnished l.a. home to a family he'd never even met rent free for a full year. >> you don't have to be bill gates or warren buffett or oprah. we can do it wherever we are with whatever we have. for me i have a home that i can make available. >> reporter: but to whom? tony south out a shelter for homeless women and children called alexandria house. there he found felicia dukes. >> here we are. >> reporter: felicia had been sharing this single room at the shelter with three of her children, but it was for kids only. her older son couldn't join them. so not only was the family

homeless and broke but separated until, that is, last weekend, when the boxes arrived at felicia's new home, tony's old one, and shortly after the boxes her son showed up, too. >> hi! >> hello. >> reporter: with one gesture tony's house had become a stranger's real home. >> wow, that was lee cowen reporting. now tony broke down and cried when they asked him if his father is proud of him because his father is suffering from alzheimer's. however, the lessons he taught his son obviously could never be forgotten. this is 9 news now. >> there's only 1 group to blame -- one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims, the house majority and their speaker, john boehner. >> 66 days after hurricane sandy hit the east coast new jersey's governor tonight blasting congress and his fellow republicans for their inaction on